Filling apparatus for pens and the like



March 6, 1956 J, BQLSEY FILLING APPARATUS FOR PENS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 4, 1952 619 70 FIE. 3.

IN V EN TOR. TA QuEs 301.557 BY United States Patent "O 2,737,329 FILLING APPARATUS FOR PENS AND THE LIKE V Jacques Bolsey, New York, N. Y. v

Application September 4, 1952, Serial No. 307,883

6 Claims. (Cl. 226-63) The present invention relates to a filling apparatus for pens and the like.

More particularly, this invention relates to containers, for ink and like, which are especially suited to be used for injecting ink and the like directly into the interior of a pen, for example.

At the present time it is customary to fill pens by dipping the pen point ends thereof into the ink in an ink container. This involves a certain amount of inconvenience because the pen point becomes quite wet and usually needs to be dried, and further because conventional pens, due to the space required by the filling device, hold such a small supply of ink that they must be filled at frequent intervals. Moreover, the amount of ink which is supplied to the pen during the filling thereof is unknown, and it sometimes happens that a pen, which the user thinks is full, only contains a small amount of ink due to improper filling unknown to the user.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome inconveniences of the above nature by providing an ink container which is particularly suitable for filling a pen in a positive and efi'icient way with a considerable supply of ink.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a container which itself holds all of the structure necesvide a container of the above type which is made of relatively few, simple and ruggedly constructed parts and 'which is capable of completely filling a pen or the like in a quick and easy manner.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide containers of the above type with a means for metering the amount of liquid moved out of the container vduring an operation thereof so that a predetermined amount of liquid will be supplied to a pen or the like during each filling thereof.

A still further object of the present invention is to pro- 'vide a container which leaves no ink on the exterior part -of a pen when the latter is filled.

Still another object of the present invention is to pro- 'vide a simple means for efficiently closing containers so that their contents cannot spill.

With the above objects in view, the present invention mainly consists of a filling apparatus, for filling pens and the like, this apparatus including a container, adapted to 'hold a liquid, and a tubular means at least partially mounted in the container and extending to and communicating with the bottom interior portion thereof, this tubular means having an open top end located over the container. A metering means is associated with the tubular means and fills the same, from the interior of the container, with a predetermined amount of liquid to be moved into a pen or the like during filling thereof. The

container may be flexible so that liquid is moved out of the same by compression of the container, or the container may be rigid and the tubular means associated therewith may be constructed to act as a pump for pumping liquid out of the container. Also, both of these latter features may be combined in one container.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevational view of the filling apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention and shown associated with a pen to be filled, the latter being fragmentarily illustrated in Fig. 1;

Figs. 2a and 2b show two positions, respectively, of a different embodiment of a filling apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of one possible pen construction adapted to be used with the filling apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 shows the apparatus of Figs. 2a and 2b associated with the pen of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 shows in section a further embodiment of a container similar to those of Figs. 1, 2a and 2b; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of a container similar to that of Fig. 5 and a closure therefor.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 a container 10 holding therein a supply of ink 11 and being provided with a cover 12 screwed onthe neck of the container and forming the top wall thereof. This cover 12 is formed with a central opening through which a part of a tube extends, this tube being fixed to the top wall of container 10, formed by cover 12, as by having the part extending through the opening of cover 12 outwardly threaded and engaged by a nut 14, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The tube 13 isprovided with a bottom wall 15 located in the bottom interior portion of container 10 and formed with an opening 16. The tube 13 is also formed with an opening 17, adjacent its top end, for a purpose described below.

Telescopically mounted within the tube 13 is a second tube 18 having a bottom wall 19 formed with an opening 20 so that the interior of .tube 18 communicates with the interior of tube 13. The tube 18 is formed on its outer surface, intermediate the ends thereof, with a shoulder 21 which engages the nut 14 so that outward movement of the tube 18 is limited. To the top end of tube 18 there is fixed, as by being threadedly connected thereto, an outlet member 22 formed with a central passageway 23 which communicates with the interior of tube 18. This outlet member 22 is provided with an outer tapered surface 24 which is adapted to extend into and tightly engage, as by being wedged thereto, a valve mechanism 25 located on a pen or the like 26 and further described below.

Within the tube 13 there is located an apertured partition 27 on the top side of which there is located a spring 28 and on the bottom side of which there is located a spring 29. Spring 28 bears against the tube 18 to urge the same to its top rest position where the shoulder 21 bears against the nut 14. Spring 29 bears against a ball member 30 located over opening 16 of tube 13 to close this opening and prevent flow of fluid from the interior of tube 13 into the container 10, this ball member permitting fluid to flow-from the latter into the tube 13 so that the ball member 30 and its associated structure form a check valve.

A second check valve structure is provided to regulate the flow of fluid through the opening of tube 18, this second check valve structure taking the form of a ball member 31 located over opening 20 and a spring 32 bearing with one end thereof against the ball "member 31 and with its opposite end against the outlet member 22 so as to urge the ball member 'i'ntothe position where it closes opening 20 and prevents fluid from flowing out of tube 18 into tube 13, While permitting fluid to flow from the latterinto the tube 18.

The above described structure of Fig. l operates as follows: 7

When the tube 18 is moved downwardly against the action of spring 28, fluid from the interior of tube 13, which fluid may be gaseous at first, flows past ball member 31, against the action of spring 32,into the tube 18. The downward stroke of tube 18 'is limited by the partition 27 together with the compressed spring 28 so that the stroke of tube 18 'may be regulated by the location of partition 27. When the tube 18 is released to the action of spring 28, the upward movement thereof creates a certain amount of vacuum in "the tube 13, and this causes the air pressure on liquid 11 to move the latter against the action of spring 29 past the ball member 30 into the tube 13. It is apparent that after 'a relatively few strokes of the tube 18, the tube 13 and the tube 18 will become filled with the liquid 11. This movement of liquid 11 into the tubes 13 and 18 to take the place of any gas therein is only required when a fresh container 10 is being used, since after a few strokes of tube 18 the latter always contains a supply of ink therein. Thus, during the normal operation of the apparatus, a single downward stroke of the tube 18 will cause ink in tube 13 to move into the tube 18 and thereby move a predetermined amount of ink out of the latter through the passage 23. The downward movement of the tube 18 is brought about by the downward movement of the pen 26 which has its'valve 25'associated with the outlet 22 so that the ink which moves out of tube 18 during the downward stroke thereof moves directly into the pen 26. As was mentioned above, the amount of ink moving into the pen during a single downward stroke of 'the opening 17 into the space between the portion of tube 18 above shoulder 21thereof and the tube '13. Thus, when the tube 18 is released to the action of spring-28, a

certain amount of this gas will be trapped above opening 17 between the nut 14 and shoulder"21, and this gas, which slowly leaks out between the tube 18 and nut 14, provides a cushion which prevents the shoulder21 from knocking against the nut 14.

It is apparent that the above described structure provides an ink container with a pumping means which is capable of pumping liquid from the container into a pen or the like with one downward stroke of the tube 18 during normal use of the apparatus.

A second embodiment of a filling apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown in Figs. 2a and 2b where the ink container is made of a flexible plastic material. The top will of container 35 is formed with an opening through which a tube 36, also made of a flexible plastic material, passes, this tube 36 filling the opening in the top wall of container 35 and being fixed to the latter in any suitable Way. For example, the plastic material oftube 36 may be threaded. as shown or may be fixed -tothe-plastic material at the top wall of container 35, aboutthe opening thereofi-by application of a suitable solvent at this-jo t hollow or made of cork or the like and which is of a smaller size than the interior cross section of tube 36 so that member 38 is located With ppreciable clearance within tube 36. A valve member 39, which also may be in the shape of a sphere and which cannot float in the ink within container 35, is located within the latter adjacent the bottom open end of the tube 36. The float 38 and valve member 39, the latter being of a larger size than the bottom open end of tube 36, are interconnected by a flexible member 40 which may be a cord, for example. The buoyant force on float 38 is large enough to raise member 39.

The above described apparatus is illustrated in Fig. 2a

in its rest position and in Fig. 2b in a position during operation of the apparatus for filling a pen. When the flexible container 35 is compressed, e. g. by the hand or" the user, the ink therein moves from the position shown in Fig. 2a upwardly toward the top of the tube 36. The ink rising within the tube 36 causes the float 38 to also rise, and this float 38, through the cord 48 which is shorter than the tube 36, pulls the valve 39 over the bottom open end of tube 36 to close this tube and prevent any more ink from entering into the tube 36, the structure being illustrated in this position in Fig. 2b. Upon further compression of the container '36, as indicated by the arrows 41, the fluid about the tube 36 transmits the compression of the container to this tube, which is also made of a flexible plastic material, so that this tube itself becomes compressed and causes ink to move upwardly past the float 38 and through the open top end 37 of tube 36 intova pen or the like connected to this open-top end 37 in the same way as was described above in connection with the outlet member 22 of the structure of Fig.1.

It is thus apparent that the apparatus of Figs. 2a and 2b provides a very simple structure for filling a pen simply by squeezing the flexible material of the container 35. The members 38-40 act as a metering means, and the length of cord 40 is suitable chosen to permit a predetermined amount of liquid to be moved out of the container during compression thereof.

Fig. 3 of the drawings illustrates one possible pen'construction adapted to be used with the apparatus described above. This pen 26 includes a hollow rigid pen body 66 adapted to directly serve as an ink reservoir and having at one end thereof a pen point means 67 adapted to re ceive ink from the interior of body 66 to deliver this ink to the pen point. At the top end of the pen body 66 there is located a valve mechanism 25 which is threadedly connected to the top open end of the pen body 66 and which is outwardly threaded to receive a cap for covering the valve mechanism 25 when the pen is not being filled, this cap 75 being removed when the pen is to be filled.

The valve mechanism 25 includes an elongated valve body 76 formed with an elongated hollow passage extending therethrough and being provided with a constricted portion 77 at its inlet end. Within the valve body 76 there is located an apertured plate 78' and an apertured plate 79. Aball member 80. bears against constricted portion 77 to close the passage of valve body 76, and a ball member 81 bears against the central aperture of partition 79 to close this aperture,.the ball members 80 and 81 being urged into. their positions illustrated in Fig. 3 by a pair of springs 82 and 83, respectively, as illustrated. Thus, when. the pen 26 is located in the position shown in Figs. 1 or 4, the outlet 22 orthe open top end 37 extend 'into the passageofthe valvebody76 in wedging engagement therewith so that the ink may flow, without spilling, into the pen body 66, this ink moving the ball member 80 away from constricted portion 77 and the ball member 81 away from the aperture of partition 79 against the action of spring 83 and then flowing through the apertured partition 78 into thereservoir formed by the pen body 66.

It will be noted that the pen body 66 is provided with a partition 68 formed with an aperture through which an elongated member 70 loosely extends, this member 70 having a spherical mass 71 on one end thereof urged against the aperture 69 of partition 68 by a spring 72 which bears against a nut 71, or the like, on the end of member 70 opposite to spherical mass 71'. This latter structure prevents the ink within reservoir 66 from acting with its full pressure against the pen point means 67. When the latter becomes dry it is only necessary to give the pen 26 a downward shake which, by inertia, will cause the mass 71 to move downwardly against the action of spring 72, thus opening the aperture 69 and permitting ink to flow from the reservoir formed by body 66 to the pen point means 67. This body 66 may be made of a transparent or translucent material between the partition 68 and pen point means 67 to give an indication of the ink within the pen. The spring 72 is carefully calibrated to urge the mass 71' toward the top of the pen with a force suflicient to hold the ink within the reservoir 66 on the top side of partition 68.

In Fig. there is shown a different embodiment of a container adapted to be used in a manner similar to the container of Figs. 2a and 2b to fill a pen, or the like. The container of Fig. 5 includes an outer, liquid-holding part 90 made of a flexible material, such as a suitable plastic, and having a top open threaded end 91 which receives a cover member 92 provided with a top tapered outlet end 93 adapted to cooperate with a valve construction of the type shown in Fig. 3 and in the same way as was described above in connection with Figs. 1 and 4. The cover member 92 is provided on its interior with a depending tubular portion 94 to which there is fixedly connected, in any suitable way such as by threading, fusing, or the like, a rigid elongated tube 95 having opposite open ends and extending almost to the bottom wall of the part 90, this tube 95 being formed at its bottom end with an inwardly extending annular flange 96. The cover 92 is provided on its interior with pin members 97 which are fixed to the cover member 92, the purpose of these pin members 97 being fully described below. Also, cover member 92 is formed with outer threads as shown.

Within the rigid tube 95 there is slidably mounted a piston member 98 formed with an axial bore 99 which terminates at its opposite ends in spherical seats 100 and 101 adapted to respectively cooperate with the ball valve members 102 and 103, these ball valve members being interconnected by a flexible cord, or the like, 104 which is of a smaller thickness than the diameter of bore 99 and which is slightly longer than the piston 98. This cord 104 may be fixed in any suitable way to the valve member 102 and 103, such as by being wedged into the material of these valve members or being joined thereto by a suitable adhesive material. A float member 105, which may also be spherical, is located within the tube 95 above the valve member 103 and is connected thereto by a flexible cord, or the like, 106 which may be made of the same material as the cord 104 and which may be fixed to the members 105 and 103 in the same way that cord 104 is fixed to the members 102 and 103.

The above described apparatus of Fig. 5 operates in the following manner:

A pen or the like is placed over the tapered outlet end 93 of cover member 92 to receive ink from the container. Then the liquid-holding part 90 is manually squeezed by the operator so as to force ink or the like to flow into the tube 95 through the bore 99, the force of the ink itself serving to unseat valve member 103 from seat 101. The

cord 104 is long enough to prevent valve 102 from be coming seated on seat 100 when valve member 103 is lifted from seat 101 by ink flewing upwardly through bore 99 as a result of the compression of the flexible container part 90. The ink rising in the tube causes the float 105 to also rise. As is evident from Fig. 5, the total length of cords 104 and 106 and the diameter of ball valve member 103 is shorter than the length of tube' 95, so that when the liquid in the latter approaches the topof the tube the float 105 will pull the valve 102 onto its seat to prevent further flow of liquid through the piston 98. The continued compression of the container part 90 will therefore cause liquid to raise the piston 98 and force the liquid above the same within the tube 95 past the float and through the bored outlet end 93 of the cover member 92 into the pen or the like, the pins 97 preventing the float 105 from closing the outlet end 93. It is evident that this structure allows only a predetermined amount of liquid to be located in the tube 95 above the piston 98 prior to the closing of bore 99 by valve 102. Thus, this structure opcrates as a metering device to control the amount of liquid which is forced out of the container during the compression of part 90 thereof.

When the container part 90 is released, the valve 102 will, by gravity, become unseated from seat 100, and the liquid remaining above the piston 98 together with the air pressure in the tube 95, which communicates with the atmosphere through the outlet end 93, will cause the valve 103 to become seated on seat 101. This air pressure within the tube 95 will be greater than the pressure about the tube 95 within the container part 90 and will therefore force the piston 98 downwardly to the bottom of tube 95, the annular flange 96 limiting this downward movement. This completes the operation of the apparatus of Fig. 5 .for a single filling of the pen. This operation is repeated each time a pen is filled, and it is evident that the piston 98 will always return to the bottom of tube 95 so that a predetermined amount of ink will always be supplied to a pen during each filling operation.

In Fig. 6 there is disclosed a container construction similar to that of Fig. 5 and a closure for the same. As is apparent from Fig. 6, the cover member 92 is provided with the threads 110 to receive the cap 111. This cap 111 is formed on its interior with a recess 112 forming an annular shoulder 113 which engages the outer, tapered surface of the outlet end 93' of cover member 92. Thus, when the cap 111 is threaded onto the outer threads 1110 of cover member 92', the shoulder 113 is tightly pressed about its entire circumference against the tapered outer surface of outlet end 93 to form a tight seal with the latter so as to prevent any escape of the contents of the container. It is believed to be evident that the cooperation between the shoulder 113 and tapered outer surface of part 93' provides a very simple and effective means for sealing the container because no great accuracy is required in the formation either of the tapered outer surface of part 93' or the shoulder 113.

The present disclosure is similar and related to the disclosure in my co-pending application Serial No. 307,885 filed on September 4, 1952, and entitled Pens and Devices for Filling the Same.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of filling apparatus for the pens or the like differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a filling apparatus having a metering means for filling a pen or the like with a predetermined amount of ink, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Filling apparatus for filling pens comprising, in combination, a flexible container having a top wall formed with an opening passing therethrough; a flexible tube passing through said opening in said top wall of said container and filling the same, said tube being fixed to said top Wall of said container, having an open bottom end located within said container adjacent the bottom Wall thereof, and having an open top end, of a smaller size than said open bottom end thereof, located over said container; a float of a smaller size than the interior cross section of said tube located within the latter for floating on a liquid located within said tube; a valve member of a larger size than said open bottom end of said tube and located outside of the latter and Within said container; and

an elongated flexible member shorter than the length of said tube, interconnecting said float and valve member and passing through said open bottom end of said tube so that when liquid rises in the latter said float, through said flexible member, draws said valve member over said bottom open end of said tube to close the latter and limit the quantity of liquid moved into the same by compression of said container.

2. Filling apparatus for pens, comprising, in combination, a flexible container; a cover member joined to said container and being formed with a passageway providing communication between the interior and exterior of the container; a rigid tube located within said container, being fixed at one end to said cover member about said passageway thereof and extending almost to the bottom of said container, said tube being provided adjacent the bottom of the container with an inwardly extending annular flange; a piston slidably mounted Within said tube and being formed with an axial bore; a pair of valve members respectively located adjacent opposite ends of said piston for alternately closing said bore thereof, said valve members being interconnected by an elongated first, flexible member passing freely through said piston bore and being slightly longer than said piston; and a float member located within said tube above said piston and being interconnected with the valve member in said tube above said piston by an elongated second, flexible element shorter than the difference between the length of said tube and said first flexible member.

3. Filling apparatus, for filling pens, comprising, in combination, a flexible container having a top wall formed with an opening passing therethrough and a bottom wall opposite said top wal; passage means mounted on said top wall of said container, extending through said opening thereof into the interior of said container, and having top and bottom open ends so that said passage means provides communication between the interior and exterior of said container, said bottom end of said passage means being located adjacent said bottom wall of said container; a float located with clearance in said passage means for floating on a liquid located in said passage means; elongated flexible means shorter than said passage means fixed at one end to said float and extending from the latter toward said bottom wall of said container; and valve means for closing said passage means fixed to the opposite end of said flexible means to be pulled by the latter and said float into a position closing said passage means when said float rises to a predetermined extent in said passage means upon compression of said flexible container to force liquid therein upwardly along the interior of said passage means, whereby a metered predetermined amount of liquid will pass into passage means for discharge through said open top end thereof. to fiil a pen or the like.

4. Filling apparatus as defined in claim 3, said passage means being in the form of an elongated tube of a flexible material and said valve means being in the form of a member larger than the diameter of said tube and being located Within said container outside of said tube so as to engage the bottom open end thereof for closing said passage means.

5. Filling apparatus as defined in claim 3, said passage means including an elongated rigid tube having an inwardiy extending annular flange at its bottom open end and a piston slidably mounted in said tube and being formed with an axial bore, said piston having a bottom end adapted to engage said annular flange to limit downward movement of said piston in said tube, said flexible means extending freely through said bore of said piston and said valve means being in the form of a closure member larger than the diameter of said bore of said piston and engaging the bottom end of said piston to close said passage means.

6. Filling apparatus as defined in claim 2, and wherein a plurality of pins are fixed to an inner surface portion of said cover member directed toward said float member so that said pins engage said float member to prevent the same from closing said passageway in said cover member.

Reierences (Iited in the file of this patent UNXTED STATES PATENTS 696,977 McGlade July 5, 1898 617,777 Schweizer Jan. 17, 1899 986,536 Ashley Mar. 14, 1911 1,569,875 Nixon Jan. 19, 192.6 1,665,908 Costello Apr. 10, 1928 1,704,573 Matthews Mar. 5, 1929 1,866,773 Koerner July 12, 1932 1,891,826 McGinnis Dec. 20, 1932 1,916,186 Mevnier June 27, 1933 2,088,952 Goble Aug. 3, 1937 2,107,700 Haas Feb. 8, 1938 2,219,604 Trotter Oct. 29, 1940 2,554,489 Crane May 29, 1951 2,554,658 Bolsey May 29, 1951 2,670,885 Allen Mar. 2, 1954 amid, 

